Retaining bar for loom spools



Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNHED v's'IAflie'si ROBERT i'vICKERilztAlsI,v or rHILAnEnIn, rENNIsYnvANm y Y RETAININQ BAR Fon' Loom lspoons Application filed April l141,

They present invention Vrelatesgenerally to the artA of weaving tufted fabrics andI more particularlyy toan improved device for sep.- aratingthe yarns during the spooling operation and retaining the yarn ends'in predetermined spooled relation. 'A

In the preparation of loomspools for use in looms for lweaving' tufted fabrics one of the initialsteps consists in making a set-up according to colors,' this being done upon a setting frame carrying the required number ofyarnreels of different colors. The loom spool to be wound is placedin the frame and the operator lthen leads the yarns to the spool one at atime and in colors according to the predetermined pattern until theentire length of the spool consistsofa plurality` of yarns placed.v s ideby side. jBetween lthe yarn reels and the loom spool there is a place provided onKA the frame to receive 'a comb-like retainingv bai-,fone being used foreach llooinaspool and all consisting (as heretofore lconstructed) ofl .a relatively narrow striphaving va top edge providedv with parallel teeth., The spacesbetweenithese teeth serve respectively as guide slots for the yarns as theyl are fed to thejloom spooljduring the windingoperation,n and eachrslot vhas a uniform width suiicient to allowy each, yarny strand to travel freely therethrough, without placing the yarn under such tension as to causefa -break therein. Since the aforesaid slots have .an appref ciable width for thepurpose above'mentioned itis obviousthat the yarnse can easily slide out of the'slots and` thus: nia-'ke it vvimpossible to `correctly transfer'the yarn ends tothe tuftframe guides'in the predetermined order. To overcome this difcultyit' has `beenthe practice heretofore to prov-ide a clover stripV 40 which lits over the endsoftheiteeth and is clamped tothe retaining har' so that there is less chance of the yarn ends working out of the'retaining bar. This cover strip is applied to the retaining bar after the winding Aofadloom spool is completed `and then the Iretaining bar and its cover strip aretak'en out ofthe settin'gframeand attached to the filled spool ready for transfer to atuft yarn frame. Retainingfbars of this prior type have been found to have vmany practical dis'- ably formed by stamping it out'of sheet metal 1930. serial No; 444,275.

advantages, for example it is a troublesome step' toy place the cover strips on. the bars; the cover strips being long and flexible are easily bent out of shape and `fail therefore to t over thebars inthe required manner; dis- Vtorted cover strips leave portions of the bars uncovered and the yarn ends come outofthe slots;and also trouble is experiencedwith the devices for interlocking the stripsI and"V bars and frequently only one end ofthe strip is latched in positionand the other being free falls away from the bar and leaves the yarn ends unfastened. l, N i Some of the objects of the presentrinventionare to provide an improved` yarn retainillrgbar for loom spools; to providera retainf infgbar wherein yall ofthe yarn strandsare freeto be drawn uthrough 4the bar-'during the spool ywinding operation; to provide a re- 'l` l. taining bar wherein the yarn strands are pres vented from-fworking loose andbecoming` dis.- ,colmeeted therefromsfto provide a.. retaining .bark whichL does not requirethe; use ofy a vcover strip; toeprovidev a yarn retaining` bar hav- I ing a means for clamping the yarn strajndsvin set position ;r to provide av retaining bar which is not only simple and economicaltomake but is eieientfinoperation; to provide a retaining bar wherein ay lockingdevice is -ini. corporated which does not require separate assembling' after l the yarn strands `are. seti; and lto provide othervimprovelnentsfas will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings FigQl representsa sideelevation of retaining barembodying one form of the present invention;v Fig.-2 represents a sideelevationof a yarn clamp4 forming a part of /the'present invention and incorporatedfinthe retainingk bar; Fig' represents a section on Aline 3-.3of Fig. l.; Fig. 4 represents a detail in side elevation of the bar brokenawayrto. show the l operative position ofthe yarn clamp; Fig.-5 representsa stamped blank from which thef f bar is formed ;r and jFig. 6 represents'za plan 95 ofv aV wound spool showing the retaining bar enlaCe- ,1 f y Referringtojthe drawings'oneform ofthe .fme'seatieventen GODSiStSfOf aber 10 preferand bending its opposite side edges to form a relatively flat tubular strip of narrow elongated shape. During the stamping operation the blank 11 of Fig. 5 is formed with a row of parallel narrow slits 12 respectively open at both ends into holes 13 each having substantially the same diameter as a yarn strand while the slits 12 are of less width than the strand diameters. When the punched blank is bent along the median transverse line of the slits 12, the holes 13 in the two folded over sides are respectively in register and provide a double row of holes spaced from the top edge of the bar while the top edge itself is in the form of a row of teeth 14 in relatively close spaced rela` tion. Thus each yarn strand can be readily drawn through its slit 12 to take its slidable position in a hole 13.

In connection with the retaining bar proper it should be noted that this bending over of the two parts of the punched'blank results in the formation of two spaced strips arranged opposite each other but interconnected along one edge. The said strips as well asv the bridging portion thereof is slitted in order to provide a comb formed of two opposite spaced rows of teeth. Each slit 12 communicates with a hole 13 of greater diameter than the width of the slitto allow the strand to fluff out to near its normal dialneter so that the strands respectively resist working out of the slits but are still held by the bounding wall of the holes against movement -in the direction of the strand length. Theouter ends of the teeth of one row are curved to meetv the similarly but opposite curved outer ends of the other row of teeth and the resulting structure gives the new and advantageous result of gripping each strand of yarn at two places whereby the chance ofthe strands working outwardly between the teeth is remote even though no further anchoring means is provided.

In order to anchor the row of yarn strands to the retaining bar 10 so that each is prevented from any movement with respect to the bar 10, a clamping latch 15 is provided which in the form of the invention here illustrated consists of an elongated narrow body member having one edge thereof provided with teeth 16v which correspond in number and Width to the number and width of the teeth 14, but here the teeth 16 are beveled on one side so thatV the inlet end of each of the slots 17 between the teeth 16 is wider at the openV end than it is at the closed end. This ensures each strand easily entering its slot 17 and reaching a hole 13 in order to be gripped by the latch l15 when the latter is moved longitudinally of the bar 10. The tubular construction of the bar 1() provides a narrow through passage in which the clamp latch 15 may slide and which also serves to retain it always connected to the bar 10. The

length of the latch 15 is such as to project from one end of the bar l() when in unlatched position, and to project from the other end of the bar 10 when it is in latched position. This latter projection is used to automatically release the latch by having the latch end engage a part of the tuft frame when the spool is being attached thereto, whereby it is moved in the required direction to unlock all of the yarn strands simultaneously.

It will now be apparent that a complete unitary retaining bar has been devised for separating and holding strands of tuft yarn wherein a plurality of narrow slits allow the respective yarn strands to be drawn down into holes which allow free feeding travel of the yarn during its winding upon a loom spool. Since the slits are narrower than the slots between the teeth of the ordinary retaining -bar, the yarn strands cannot work loose and hence the ordinary clamp cover member is dispensed with. After a spool is wound the yarn strands are severed between the retaining bar and the reel'spools, and then to ensure against pulling out of the yarn endsl through the guide holes it is desirable to shift the clamp latch in the direction to interlock the yarn strands. This movement of the latch causes it to project at one end of the bar and thus it can be readily shifted back to unlatched position by manually pushing this projection end or causing it to engage a cam part on the transfer machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A tuft yarn retaining bar consisting of a bar formed by two oppositely disposed strips in spaced relation and interconnected along one edge thereof, said bar having yarn receiving slits in the interconnected portion and strips whereby each strand of yarn is held at two places.

2. A tuft yarn retaining ybar consisting of a bar of tubular form having a comb along one edge formed of double teeth providing two rows of yarn receiving slits in spaced relation whereby each strand of yarn is held at two points. f

3. A tuft yarnretaining bar consisting of ra bar formed by two oppositely disposed strips in spaced relation and interconnected along one edge thereof, said bar having yarn receiving slits in the interconnected portion and strips whereby each strand of yarn is held at two places, and a latch slidably mounted between said stripsfor simultaneously locking all of said strands in said slits.

4. A tuft yarn retaining bar consisting of a bar having a row of holes transversely thereof and each of an area substantially equal to the thickness of the strand of yarn to be wound, and .also having a plurality of slits opening respectively into said holes and each of a width less than the thickness of said yarn strand, whereby each strand of yarn can lOO be compressed to enter said holes by Way of said slits and undue play of the strand With respect to the bar is prevented by the normal thickness of the strand illing the holes.

5. A tuft yarn retaining bar consisting of a bar having two sides arranged in fixed spaced relation, said sides being respectively provided with slits, the slits in one side registering respectively With the slits in the opposite side.

6. A tuft yarn retaining bar consisting of a bar having a row of holes transversely thereof and eachY of an area substantially equal to the thickness of the strand of yarn r to be wound, and also having a plurality of slits opening respectively into said holes and each of a Width less than the thickness of said yarn strand, in combination with a latch for locking strands of yarn respectively in said holes.

Signed at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, this 1st day of April, 1980.

1 ROBERT E. VICKERMAN. l 

